Pokémon Reset Bloodlines: Akala Island Adventures
by Viroro-kun
Summary: Spin-off of PRB. The Alolan Pokémon School is ready for an excursion trip throughout Akala Island, under the guidance of the Kahuna herself. While braving the perils and exploring the cities of the Alolan island, all the students will have to confront the hardest task for any kid: growing up and improving oneself. [Knowledge of PRB suggested for specific details, but not essential]


As the child opened his eyes, he found himself in a far different place than anything he'd seen in his short life.

Everything was green, lush, alive, like something out of a dream. The child continued to look around, trying and failing to stand up with his small arms. His mother and father were nowhere to be found.

The child continued to observe the bright nature, the clean sky and the bright moon, squinting his eyes and turning away. He had no idea where he was, and wanted to know more: the last thing he recalled was a long and big blue portal, and then nothing more. The child froze in place, trying to stand up and search around himself.

And that was when he saw two weird creatures staring at him, their skin pitch black, one wearing yellow shells on his arms and the other sitting in a pink one, looking quite funny. The child almost giggled at their appearance, but kept checking in curiosity. Who were they? Did they want to play with him? Were they friends of mother and father?

The funny creatures didn't reply, the yellow and black one scratching his huge orange crest in confusion. The one in the pink shell tilted her head, turning between the boy and her friend.

" _So, this is our responsibility?_ " she asked, eyes narrowing on the child.

The black and yellow one gave a shrug. " _So it seems._ "

Some more silence. The child continued to stare at the funny ones, still thinking. They seemed serious, worried even. The child blinked; did he do something wrong? He didn't know what to say, but he still wanted to know.

And then the pink one talked again, sounding more serious. " _Let's contact Bulu and Fini._ "

" _Alright._ " The yellow one nodded, and then pointed a hand at him. He looked uncertain, but still held his gaze. " _Huh, kid, stay here, okay? The grownups need to do something now._ "

The child tried to talk, only for the two to float away, leaving him once more alone. The child could only stare, trying to get up again, only to fall back. He turned back around him, finding nothing but nature and darkness once more. A shiver ran through his body, and curiosity gave way to fear. He wanted his mother, his father, anyone back! Where did they go?

With some resolve and a bit of a push, the child finally managed to float again, just a bit above the ground. He still found nothing, until wind started to blow, moving the grass and leaves and filling the forest with sound. The child was startled, and ran around crying.

 _Pew! Pew! Pew!_ He tried to call, hoping for someone, anyone to come and get him home. Before he realized it, as he floated through the green, his body started to glow, energy flowing through him.

And before he could realize it, the little cloud blinked away from the forest and into the unknown.

* * *

 _White tendrils all around her body, preventing her from escaping. Her whole body enveloped in a tight embrace, not the one of a mother, but rather a predator._

 _She shook, thrashed, tried to yell, begging all the men and women of science to help her as the creature floated ahead, in the tear in the sky._

 _Her mind faded in and out of consciousness, barely holding in, the prison growing tighter, her breath more shallow, fear spiking up and her heart beating against her ribcage._

 _And all the while she cried. For her mother, her father, her brother, anyone to save her._

 _And then her savior came. Or was it? A beast of pure rage, eyes shining in crimson fury, lunging and readying its claw to sunk into her skin, a primal war cry echoing around her._

 _Closer, and closer, and then it swung._

 _And then it all ended._

Lillie woke up startled, bolting into a sitting position and holding a hand over her racing heart. She remained still for several seconds before she finally calmed down and realized she was still in her bedroom, where everything was fine, and no Pokémon was trying to hurt or maim her in any way. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes, until a low, concerned cry grabbed her attention.

Lillie's eyes turned to the edge of the bed, where Snowy was pawing at her in concern. Lillie mustered a smile and petted the fur of her Alolan Vulpix, before she held her close in a hug.

"It's okay Snowy, I'm fine. It was just a bad dream," she told her partner. The Vulpix nuzzled her trainer softly in return.

Trainer and Pokémon continued their embrace for a brief while, all while Lillie turned to the nearby window and observed the vast Alolan sea. It wasn't the first time she had that nightmare, and yet it still manage to unsettle her in a way nothing else could. The same terror that coursed through her body whenever she came in contact with a Pokémon.

Why was that? Was it something that happened in Aether Paradise, all that time ago? She had no memories of that, and there was no structure like that there. It sounded so real, and yet it couldn't have been. What was that dream really about?

The girl's smile quickly morphed into a sad frown. A long time ago, her father or her mother would've stormed inside the room, helping calm her down and to not be scared of meaningless dreams. Even her brother would've joined sometimes, all while acting like a tough guy who needed no help.

Those were simpler, happier times. Before her father disappeared, before her mother threw herself on her work full time, before her brother parted ways with the family to find his own place in the world, leaving her all alone with her nightmares and problems.

Lillie hugged Snowy tighter at that. She held no ill will against her family: she understood that her mother's work as the Aether Foundation President was important and she was the only one who could take care of matters, she respected that Gladion had every right to move on with his life, and her father... she shook her head, trying not to think about that.

And yet, even knowing all of this, she felt alone, at a loss of what to do. Even with all the support of her friends, she didn't feel like her problems were anywhere near solved.

If only there was one way to do so, one easy way-

And a creature materialized right ahead of her.

"Ah!" Lillie cried, eyes wide in shock and losing her grip on Snowy. She stood there, frozen in fear, staring at the being (the Pokémon?) ahead of her.

It was small, almost round but for two appendages, with a sky blue and purple body and two bright yellow eyes. It reminded her of a cloud of stars, a little nebula maybe. It just stood there, staring at her with just as much fear as her.

Lillie held her breath, gaze locked with the little being. There was something familiar about it, but she couldn't tell why. What was it? Why was it here?

And then a bright, joyful, curious smile appeared on the little cloud's face. It floated upward, studying Lillie with interest, all while Snowy prepared a Powder Snow.

Lillie almost jolted back, fear freezing her in place, pain and fear spreading all around her body. Worry filled her, even as the creature didn't do any movement.

She attempted to raise her hand, to touch it, to learn what it could be, but she hesitated. And then, a strong knock on her door.

"Miss Lillie? Is everything okay?" asked the familiar voice of her butler Hobbes.

Eyes locked into the curious being, Lillie gulped. "T-There's a Pokémon here!"

The curiosity faded instantly on the little star cloud's face, and worry settled in. And thus, the creature blinked away, just as Hobbes and his Pom Pom Oricorio barged into the room, ready for a Revelation Dance.

Butler and Flying-type stood there in confusion, looking around themselves before they glanced back at Lillie.

"Huh, I don't see any Pokémon here," Hobbes said.

Lillie held a hand over her chest, just as Vulpix pressed her body closer to her trainer. The girl took a deep breath.

"It was here just a moment ago." Lillie's eyes wandered back to the window. "It must've used Teleport to get away."

"A stray Abra or Ralts, then." Lillie nodded, even if that creature was neither. The butler then smiled, walking back to the door. "I'll keep vigilant on the house for a little while, though. Just in case it might be a scout for a burglar."

Lillie gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you, Hobbes."

"Good night, miss Lillie." And with a polite salute, the family butler and his partner Pokémon closed the door behind them.

Alone with Snowy again, Lillie's gaze shifted to the bedsheets. Hobbes was as dependable and helpful as usual, for sure, always ready to come to her help if she needed it. He and his friends were a constant help she would have never traded for anything in the world.

The girl tensed up, hands clenching into fists. Help, help, help; she always ended up needing help, no matter what it was, and there was always someone ready to lend a hand. Like a child, it made her feel so... helpless. A flower that needed to be constantly looked after.

Lillie shook her head, trying to put those thoughts away from her, thinking back of the creature from before. Its appearence was sudden, true, and yet she didn't feel too scared thinking back to it. She remembered the curiosity, the upsetting familiarity... but most importantly, she remembered the quiet loneliness in its eyes, looking for someone else. A very familiar loneliness.

Lillie faced the sea once more, the breeze moving the waves beachward. Wherever that little nebula went, she hoped it could find the happiness it seemed to want.

Everybody deserved to be happy, after all.

* * *

Work at the Aether Foundation never really slowed down: be it day or night, one could be sure a Yungoos infestation, a Toxapex attack, or a misguided Muk recycling attempt was afoot in the ecological hotspot that was Alola. Fortunately, all the Employees were aware of that rhythm, and all did their best to solve every problem they came across.

As she went through the endless reports stashed over her desk, in the middle of her immaculate white office room, Lusamine was pleased to see how hard working and diligent her subordinates were. To protect the beauty of the Alola region was a harsh and time-consuming task, but there was little she wouldn't do for the sake of beauty.

A pleased grin formed on the woman's face, just as her gaze shifted to the screen of her computer, where the tracking program showed the latest movements of the key of her plans. The little creature was making good use of his teleporting gift, blinking in and out of every island of the Alola region at a breakneck pace. Akala, Melemele, Ula'Ula, even on Poni once; the creature continued to go all around the region, to the point the woman almost wondered if it would eventually just pop in her arms. She quickly dismissed the thought, however, as the little creature blinked back in Akala Island, the center of its attention so far.

Lusamine didn't know why, but she wasn't particularly interested in knowing. Obtaining the little baby took priority; every unsolved enigma could be addressed in due time.

The woman's train of thought was interrupted by a knock in the door, and Lusamine swiftly set the paperwork aside to turn to the door. "Please, come in," she said, smirk drawn across her face.

From the door entered a boy, wearing the black, white and red uniform typical of the Fiorran Pokémon Rangers, with Z-shaped marks on his cheeks and a serious smile on his face, with a Minun resting on his shoulder. If it weren't for the horrendous crew cut he had, Lusamine would've found him a rather handsome young man. It was a shame he continued to refuse her offer for some fashion tips.

He quickly pulled off the typical Ranger Union salute. "Madam Lusamine."

"Hello, Zilant. How are you feeling today?" Lusamine asked, letting out a light chuckle.

"Everything's ok, I'm just back from helping out some Employees with a Yungoos infestation. Those Pokémon really don't know when to quit..."

Lusamine couldn't help but laugh at the light nuissance on Zilant's face. He was the nephew of her loyal assistant Wicke, which first arrived in Aether Paradise to recover from a bad mission in his home region on Fiore and staying away from her mother, an ingrate unable to see the beauty her child embodied, throughout divorce proceedings.

That was one year ago, but as time continued and Zilant's mother continued to ask for her son's return, Lusamine decided to step her foot in, and formally requested to hire Zilant as a Fiorran representative in the protection of the Alola region, something the Ranger Union thankfully agreed with and that ensured a nice, pleasant stay away from ugly, ignorant parents for the little Zilant. She was rather glad to have preserved his beauty before his mother could wither it away in her incompetence.

Lusamine intertwined her fingers, edging closer to the boy. "You're such a dutiful child. Your mother should appreciate you better."

"Let's not talk about it." Zilant's hands balled into a fist ever-so-slightly, eyes shifting to the side.

"My bad, I didn't mean to strike a nerve." Lusamine raised a hand in apology, with Zilant replying in kind to say it was unneeded.

Lusamine lost her grin at that point, a frown replacing it. "That said, I'm afraid I have to request your talents for a mission of the utmost importance."

"What is it?" Zilant asked, standing in wait.

The Aether President swiftly turned around the screen of her computer, showing Zilant all the bleeping dots that highlighted the creature's movements.

"Our technology has recently picked up peculiar signals, ones that belong to a Pokémon we know very little about. It's a very rare species, with the power to teleport wherever it wants, like an hyperactive Abra."

Zilant didn't say anything as he and his Minun kept a close eye on the program, trying to discern the teleporting pattern. As he did so, Lusamine smirked slightly once more.

"However, it's also a very defenseless creature, and is currently lost in Akala Island, teleporting from place to place without rhyme or reason." Her smirk widened again as she passed a hand through her long blonde hair. "With your experience as a Pokémon Ranger, I've got the feeling you could manage to bring it here to the Aether Foundation so we could help it, without scaring the poor creature."

Zilant quirked an eyebrow and faced her again. "Only me? No other help from the Foundation?"

Lusamine was quick to nod, even as that ugly, confused scowl invaded Zilant's beautiful face. Her stare grew colder, and her voice raised slightly.

"It's a shy little creature, wary of everyone harming him. If it saw a contingent of people all moving at once, it would obviously avoid contact, teleporting away, potentially somewhere dangerous. Just imagine what could happen: it could be injured, eaten, killed, _captured_..."

Lusamine had to refrain from a chuckle as she saw Zilant grimace; Rangers had historically always had a low opinion on Trainers, Zilant even moreso. Thus, she rose from her seat, staring straight into Zilant's eyes. "We can't allow that, don't you think? We need to ensure the Pokémon is safe and unharmed above all else."

Zilant didn't hesitate, pulling off the Ranger salute once again, that ugly uncertainty gone from his face.

"Consider the Pokémon already rescued."

"Exactly what I wanted to hear." Lusamine's smile grew bigger and more genuine, as the woman placed a hand under her desk and produced a white device, the Aether Foundation logo emblazoned on it. "This item will let you follow the Pokémon's movements. Its name is 'Cosmog', if you wonder."

"Alright, then." Zilant grabbed the radar and clutched it close, still staring in determination back to Lusamine. "I'll make sure Cosmog remains safe, at all costs."

"Good luck, Zilant. I know I can trust you."

Zilant nodded at that. "Thank you, Madam President."

And thus, Wicke's dutiful nephew left as quick as he came without a further word, obedient like only the best children could.

As the office door closed again and Lusamine returned to be alone in the large white office, she continued to stare at the entrance. Zilant was a perfect child, always eager to help and be of service, completely unlike her ugly son and her useless daughter. She almost felt bad to not be able to give him the full picture, why Cosmog was important, and what was the actual reason she needed it for.

But for Cosmog, she was ready to do that and more. Soon, the little Ultra Beast would be in her hands, and once it would be, nothing would be able to keep her and Nihilego separate ever again.

Nothing at all.

* * *

As the moon shone brightly above his head, Gladion continued to stare at the Premier Ball in his hand in concern, his Midnight Lycanroc right at his side, the waves washing over the beach the only sound in the air.

The black-clad blond boy sighed, hand clenched tightly over the recently repaired Ball. He gave one last look around the beach, ensuring no one else was around, then one nod to Lycanroc. And thus, he tossed the Ball towards the sand. "Come out."

The Premier Ball opened, and right ahead of him he could see the mismatched, quadrupedal and mostly black form of his oldest and most prized friend. The chimera quickly turned back around, staring at Gladion from beyond its heavy brown mask, wasting no time to howl through the helmet and thrashing around in an effort to remove it.

"Hey, there, calm down, it's okay," Gladion tried to say as he walked closer to his Pokémon and grabbed it close. The chimera continued to thrash and headbutt the air, the boy barely managing to keep it from rampaging in pain.

Gladion grimaced and bared his teeth, understanding what his friend was going through. He quickly focused, however, as he met gazes with his Lycanroc.

"Lycanroc, let's try." The boy planted his feet in the sand and held the chimera tightly. "Stone Edge!"

Lycanroc howled an affirmative, then punched the ground, shooting a line of stalagmites straight at his trainer and the Pokémon.

As the last stalagmite impacted right on the Pokémon's helmet, Gladion continued to hold tightly onto its body, even as it cried out in pain. A cloud of smoke rose from the impact, and as it slowly dissipated, Gladion hoped for the best.

And when it did and he saw the helmet still unharmed, he frowned and shook his head, all while Lycanroc shrugged.

"Still nothing, huh." Gladion sighed and rubbed the chimera's fur. "I'm sorry, Null."

Null, slightly calmer than before, whined beyond its mask. Gladion didn't say anything, but he could understand why. 'Type: Null' was the name it was given after his supposed ferocity led it to be discarded, what was once meant to be the 'Beast Killer' now outfitted with a helmet meant to restrain its power, which only made his friend continuously feel pain.

Gladion clenched his fists. He still remember those days back in Aether Paradise, back when he was still called 'Type: Full' and treated as a resounding success among the Employees. He remembered how they would play around together when no one was looking, how he thought Type: Full was a mouthful and started calling it 'Silvally', and how it and Lillie-

Gladion shook his head at that, putting his thoughts aside. It was all his fault if things came to that, he didn't do enough to prevent them. He had to make up for it, one way or another, and for that he had to become stronger than he was. There was no other way.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he noticed Null standing to attention, eyes fixated on the sea beyond. Gladion turned the same way, faintly making out Akala Island in the distance, his scowl returning.

"What's wrong? Did you feel something?" he asked, facing his faithful friend again.

Null didn't say anything, simply clawing at the sand with unease. Gladion furrowed his brow; to react that way, it had to be something dangerous, like a hostile Pokémon... or, pray not, one of _those_.

Gladion's eyes shifted back to the sea, and then back to one of the largest islands of the Alola region. Whatever was going there, he needed to investigate further now.

* * *

As the bright sun of Alola started to raise from the horizon, a young Alolan boy had decided to wake up early. As he stood on the edge of Route 1's beach and took in the salty sea breeze washing over his body with a female Pikachu resting on his shoulder, the striped shirt-wearing kid gave a huge grin: sure, it was a school day, but there was nothing better than taking a few moments to look over at the sea in the early morning: it was always a brief moment each day, but it truly helped him relax his mind and prepare for the new adventures the day had in store for him.

Fraxinus Lono, or just Frax as he preferred to be called, quickly gave a look at the bright, cloudless-sky, seeing the sun still rising. Knowing he could probably afford some more minutes, he grabbed five Poké Balls from his three-quarter pants' belt, grinning as he turned around and tossed them all at once.

Five bright lights popped out of the devices, and a few seconds later Frax was surrounded by some of his best friends in the whole world: his recently evolved Dartrix, his Litten, his Rockruff, his Munchlax, and his most recent capture, Hawlucha. All Pokémon stood in wait as Pikachu jumped among them, even if Hawlucha appeared curious about his surroundings.

Frax pulled off a bright and goody smile as he walked closer to the little Pokémon group.

"Good morning, crew!" Frax pumped his fists, his grin only growing bigger. "Let's get to train some!"

That was enough to make all of Frax's Pokémon smile back at him, some for fun and others for challenge, and they all divided in groups of two: Pikachu against Dartrix, Litten against Rockruff, and Munchlax against Hawlucha. All six sized up their opponent, waiting for a good moment to strike, but less than a minute later Frax's current team started to duke it out, all under Frax's watchful eye.

Frax laughed heartily at his team's energy, then tried to study all of the individual fights going on: Pikachu and Dartrix had opted for a long-distance face off where they traded Swifts and Razor Leaves while taking cover between moves, while Litten and Rockruff were favoring a straight brawl, even if Rockruff continued to fire out the Rock Throw he recently helped him learn. The battle he ended up being more interested in, however, was definitely Munchlax and Hawlucha's.

Hawlucha was letting out potent war cries and prepared his fists, all while Munchlax mantained an only halfway concerned expression, turning around in search of food. That didn't seem to deter his newest capture, especially as his claws shone in the bright white of Karate Chop and he rushed ahead, an audacious grin over his beak as the bird luchador readied to strike.

And then, right as he reached Munchlax, he missed him completely and tripped over a rock, rolling over the sand, bouncing on Munchlax's large belly, and then falling headfirst into the sand with a pained whine. Hawlucha quickly jumped back on his feet however, and tried again with another Karate Chop, only for the same result to happen. As Hawlucha continued in his futile attempts, Munchlax simply stood there with a dopey and confused expression, like a sort of inverted punching bag.

Frax sighed as Munchlax continued to win by doing absolutely nothing, quickly walking closer to his sand-drenched and frustrated new Pokémon. It was an unusual problem he noticed when he first met him: he jumped in and pointed at his newly earned Fightium-Z, as if he wanted to test his skill, only to go down from a simple Fury Swipes from Litten and crying on the ground. Frax tried to comfort him, and that friendship was what led to his capture.

Since then, he and his Pokémon tried their best to help Hawlucha learn how to fight properly since he had the drive for it, only for the results to always be less than stellar. The bird luchador had a very 'attack first, plan later' mentality without the right amount of strength to compensate, and that only led to rather embarassing battles that helped no one grow.

And yet, Frax wasn't angry at his new Pokémon for that. He kneeled to his now-sandy and scowling Fighting-type and patted his shoulder with an understanding smile.

"Come on, there's no need to be angry here." He held a fist ahead of him, his grin growing cheekier. "Learning how to fight isn't easy. Just take your time and go through the basics, alright?"

Hawlucha contemplated his trainer, blinking a couple of times before he nodded and stood up again, shaking the sand away from his body and taking a bit of distance from the rest of the team. Now with his own space, Hawlucha started to give punches and kicks to the air, slowly and methodically but quickly settling into a sort of rhythm. Frax gave him a thumbs up and tried to get closer, but a howl of victory interrupted him and forced him to glance at the side.

There, he could see Litten battered and bruised, forced with his head on the sand by a rather cocky and much less injured Rockruff. Litten seemed ready to complain, only for Rockruff to snap back at him, bark, and press his head down harder. At that point, Rockruff turned back and stared at Frax with a proud smile, to which his trainerreplied by petting his head.

"Good work, Rockruff," Frax said with a smile, before he briefly frowned. "Though, you don't have to be so harsh on Litten: this is just training, after all."

Rockruff's smile faltered at that, the Rock-type almost scowling at Frax, but said expression left as fast as it came. Rockruff instead lowered his body and raised his backside, quickly wagging his tail like a makeshift metronome. Frax didn't need long to understand him.

"Oh, you want to improve on your Rock Throw?" Frax grinned, adjusting his cap. "Sure, I can help out!"

Rockruff barked happily, and Frax let out a chuckle of his own. He knew what Rockruff wanted him to do: it was a unique skill he and his sister had that he used to help Rockruff learn the movements for Rock Throw.

And thus, Frax lowered himself on all fours, head down and backside up, and slowly started to shake his butt rhythmically, all while a faint energy tail appeared from nowhere .It was a small secret that his twin had always found embarassing, that gave them the not-so impressive ability to execute a Tail Whip much like a Pokémon, the kind of special powers people called a 'Bloodline' and that was supposedly very dangerous. But Frax didn't care: it might've been a bit childish to use that power in that way, but in the end he was still a child at heart, and it was the best way to help out Rockruff.

Thus, he continued to move his energy tail left and right as he stared into Rockruff's eyes. "Here, try to make this motion more like this. It should help with giving more oomph to the attack."

Rockruff nodded, studying Frax's movement and emulating them. Frax's motions weren't quite Rock Throw's, sure, but it was close enough and that was what mattered. Frax laughed out as a ring of stones formed around Rockruff's tail.

"That's it! Keep going and try!"

And thus trainer and Rock-type continued to move at once, all while Rockruff fired Rock Throws at a safe distance, slowly growing quicker and more precise. As they continued, Frax could see the rest of his Pokémon having finished their training and observing their routines, some of them impressed, some of them laughing, and others staring in confusion. Frax didn't mind, though: he didn't care if he made a fool of himself, for his Pokémon he was ready to do that and more.

One thing he did notice, however, was Hawlucha's stare, far more intense and focused than anyone else's. Frax blinked, wondering why he was doing that: last time he checked, Hawlucha didn't have a tail or anything close. Why would he be so interested?

He would've probably thought more about it, if a familiar voice didn't interrupt his thoughts.

"Fraxinus Lono, what the heck are you doing?"

Frax and Rockruff interrupted their butt shakes at once, and they and the rest of the Pokémon turned around to see a young, tall and rather developed girl that looked quite a lot like Frax, with an Alolan Raticate and Persian hanging at her side, a schoolbag in her hands and a rather annoyed stare directed at the boy. Frax knew exactly who that was: his twin sister, Velvet Lono, and she really didn't look happy for some reason.

The Alolan boy simply stood back up, dusted the sand from his clothes and shrugged as his Pokémon walked closer to him. "I'm training, what else?"

Velvet seemed about to reply, only to sigh and rub her forehead as she stepped closer, eyes trained on Frax.

"Be more careful. It might just be Tail Whip, but the moment someone stupid sees you, you'd be in trouble," she said, far less harsh than before.

Frax rolled his eyes at that. "You're just embarassed about it."

"Whatever. Get the bag and recall everyone, we're gonna be late for school." Velvet exhaled, tossing the bag to Frax and turning around without a further word.

Frax grumbled at that but followed suit, giving a quick apologetic nod to Rockruff and the others and recalling everyone but Pikachu in their Poké Balls and putting the schoolbag on, quickly sprinting to catch up with his sister on the path back to Route 1.

"How did you find me?" Frax asked, head tilted as his shoes met the dirt road.

Velvet let out a sly grin. "If you're not sleeping at this hour, then you're training. You're very easy to predict."

"Hey, Kahuna Hala's Grand Trial only pumped up Pikachu and the others for the next ones. If they want to train, I'm gonna help them out."

Velvet shook her head. "If only you put all this effort into studying instead..."

"Studying is boring and will stop being useful eventually." Frax pumped his fists again, sharing a cocky grin with his Pikachu. "But I'm totally gonna stick with my Pokémon. My team is already pretty big, but I'll make sure each of them becomes invincible! That's our goal!"

Pikachu let out a cry of agreement, and both trainer and partner Pokémon flashed matching grins. Velvet only stared at them dumbfounded, seemingly unable to decide if to laugh at them, complain, both, or neither. And so, she just shook her head again, passing a hand over her Raticate's head.

"You're optimistic to the point of naivety," she said as her rodent Pokémon squeaked in pleasure, with Persian rubbing himself on her leg to demand attention, which she gave right away.

"What can I say? Looking to the future and only seeing bad stuff won't help anyone." Frax put his hands behind his head, his eyes going to the sun above them. "Let's make it a good one."

"We can think of the future after today's lessons." Velvet gave her brother a far friendlier smile than before, tilting her head to the road ahead. "Let's speed up, dreamer."

Frax gave her a nod and an even bigger grin, and at once, the twins and their Pokémon ran through the road towards their destination: Hau'oli City's Pokémon School.

* * *

In spite of being on the outskirts of Alola's biggest city, the Pokémon School still managed to be one of the most important and unique landmarks it had: founded twenty years or so before by the esteemed regional variant expert Samson Oak, the school's aim was to offer an easy way for people to learn about Pokémon, whether they planned to become trainers or walk any other path in life, in a more in-depth fashion while promoting cooperativity between the students. Unlike equivalents in other regions like Kanto's Pokémon Tech, however, Principal Oak liked to promote a playful vibe to his school's teachings, which was why the school's classes had no walls and there were plenty of little diversions to be found on the school grounds, with the giant slope going through the main school building being the most striking one.

It was an unusual approach, but one his students had always responded positively: many strong trainers and remarkable people had graduated from the school, garnering it a high amount of prestige as a good companion course to any trainer's journey through Alola.

But neither Frax nor Velvet had much time to dwell upon all of that as they finally reached the school's entrance, sweating and tired but quite happy as Oak's Komala rung the building's bell just as they stepped on the school grounds.

"Whew, we made it in time!" Frax said, grinning as he rubbed the sweat off his face, with Pikachu mimicking him.

Velvet remained stoic, staring at their classroom with Raticate and Persian. "We aren't in class yet. Let's go, we're almost there."

"Roger that!"

Frax and Velvet walked ahead to reach their class, slow but steady as they caught their breath, thinking only of their destination-

"Hey, you! Stop right there!"

At least, until a slightly familiar voice was heard, stopping the Lono twins on their tracks and making their Pokémon turn around to face whoever had spoken.

"Hm? Who's there?" Frax asked, tilting his head as he and his sister turned back as well.

Several feet away from them stood three teenagers in the familiar punk-styled uniform of Team Skull, two of them rather lean with blue and pink hair respectively and another far more rotund and with brown hair, all holding a Poké Ball, staring at them with interest and what were likely wicked grins behind their bandannas.

The blue-haired one strode across them with the poise of a born leader, pointing at them while tossing the Poké Ball up and down with his free hand. "I think you guys have something we want here. How about you give it to us?"

Frax didn't say anything yet, even as Velvet narrowed her eyes and Persian and Raticate appeared ready to dish some punishment. He squinted his eyes some more, and then he widened them as a recollection came back up.

"Oh, hey, it's you three." Frax rubbed his neck, a quirked eyebrow trained on the trio. "What were your names again?"

All the poise and menace was drained right off the blue grunt's face as he and his cronies went pale, only for them to glare at the twins while fuming in anger.

"How dare you forget who we are? I'm Tupp!" the blue-haired one said, hand over his chest.

"And I'm Rapp!" the pink-haired one added, stepping ahead.

"And Zipp!" the brown-haired one concluded, holding a fist ahead of him.

Tupp's angry scowl grew only fiercer afterwards, pointing straight at Frax's Pikachu as the Team Skull member held his Ball tightly. "We're the biggest and baddest Team Skull members there are! Now, hand over your Pokémon, or pay the price!"

It didn't take long for Frax to stare back at Tupp just as fiercely. He and the other students of the school already had enough run-ins with that trio of Skull members: they were very much the kind of hooligans one would expect them to be, and they weren't afraid to use dirty tactics to get what they wanted. But much like those bikers he and Velvet met on their first day at the Pokémon School, Frax had no intention to comply and back off from a battle.

"Well, we'll pay easily, in that case." He grinned and took a battle stance, eyes shifting to his trusted partner. "Pikachu, you ready?"

His Pikachu pumped her fists and sparked in agreement, and thus trainer and Pokémon faced the hooligans again, just as all three were ready to send their own Pokémon.

"Great, then! Let's go, use-"

"Nope. We're not doing that."

Before any command could be given, a rather strong hand grabbed Frax by the shirt, dragging him towards the school entrance. Frax and Pikachu went wide-eyed, even moreso when they realized it was a very nervous Velvet that was leading them in.

"Huh? But Velvet, it's Team Skull! We can't let them run wild!"

Velvet exhaled. "You said it, it's Team Skull. When have they _actually_ been a problem?"

Frax had no words to say, and instead faced the trio of troublemakers he was about to put in line. Tupp, Rapp and Zipp were all staring in disbelief, until Tupp stepped ahead and shook an angry fist at the twins.

"What do you think you're doing? You can't just ignore us like this!" he yelled.

"If you say. Feel free to come inside if you need to steal our Pokémon or whatever, I have an attendance record to keep here."

Tupp turned several shades paler, only to blush in embarassment and stomp his feet on the ground. "Y-you will pay for this! Nobody ignores Team Skull and lives to brag about it!"

"Yeah! We'll make you regret this!" Zipp added, him and Rapp both joining their leader in the complaints.

Velvet didn't dignify them of any response as she and her brother finally made their way inside the school, passing through the fossil exhibit on the main corridor as they reached the stairs to the upper floors. As they went on, they could still hear the yells and complaints of Tupp's little gang aimed at them and the school, all of which grew progressively lower until they were finally gone.

Velvet sighed in relief and rubbed her forehead. "Oh, finally. I thought they would've never stopped."

"We should've dealt with them right away. Who knows what they plan to do next." Frax grumbled under his breath, adjusting his bag as Pikachu hopped off to the ground.

His sister shrugged at that. "They will just go the way those thugs from our first day of school did: get defeated or Z-Moved to oblivion, or maybe a Jenny will arrest them."

"I dunno, they might do something bad to Pokémon, and I don't want that." Frax clenched his fists, far more solemn than he usually was.

Velvet just blinked at him, only for a soft smirk to make its way on her face. "You really can't stop caring about Pokémon, right?"

Frax giggled at that, his natural smile coming back to him as he put his arms behind his neck.

"Any of them can become our friends. Isn't that reason enough?" His gaze wandered around, back to the sky outside the school. "Sure, there are some like that Leavanny on Poni Island that would rather kill us first, but there's plenty of good Pokémon, too."

Pikachu squeaked an affirmative at that, leaping over the handrail and offering her tail to the trainer. Frax high-fived it immediatedly with another giggle, all under Velvet's thoughtful stare.

She then shook her head, sighing and facing the wooden tiles on the floor. "No wonder Pokémon flock to you and not me."

"What do you mean?" Frax furrowed his brow, eyes on his sister.

"Nothing, don't worry."

Frax didn't let out, still staring at Velvet: he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed for sure, but even he could tell that someone was going through his sister's mind. He continued to look at her and think of what to say as they passed through the corridor, only for them to reach their classroom just before he could say anything.

"Frax, Velvet, Alola!"

The Lono twins faced ahead, finding the cheerful and ever-smiling face of their green-haired friend Mallow welcoming him inside with a wave. Everyone else was mostly minding their own business, with their Pokémon playing a game of tag with Sophocles' Togedemaru throughout the classroom.

As Pikachu, Raticate and Persian joined Turtonator, the two Popplio and Steenee in the chase, Frax and Velvet smiled at once and waved back at the class.

"Alola, Mallow, guys." Frax and Velvet strode towards their seats, their eyes going to the conspicously empty desk ahead. "Professor Kukui isn't here yet?"

Kiawe shook his head, eyes on the corridor. "He's apparently sorting some things out with Principal Oak, not sure what."

"Probably something about an extra class or something. It's been a while since the last time we did an excursion and the weather's good, by what I can see," Sophocles let out as he pressed several keys on his holo-laptop, going from a raw code to the latest weather updates without even turning to the others.

Hau gave one of his goofy smiles at that, munching on a Malasada. "Cool! There's nothing better than going on an adventure!"

"Hopefully it's somewhere with a lot of strapped swimmers..." Lana muttered to herself, lost in her own little world.

Frax and Velvet had a good chuckle at that: they were a very weird and varied student body in spite of their size, but that was but a part of what made the Pokémon School fun and interesting to be in. It was at that point, however, that Frax and Velvet's eyes fell on their one classmate that had said no word to them yet.

Right next to Velvet's seat, Lillie was keeping to herself, hugging Snowy tightly as she stared absentmindedly at the chalk board and shelves of the class, seemingly lost in thought.

Velvet was the first to butt in, frowning. "Is something wrong, Lillie?"

Lillie widened her eyes and froze in place. She turned back to the Lono girl, hugging Snowy just a bit too tighter and causing the little Ice-type to yip in pain. Lillie blushed and let her Pokémon down to enjoy the playing, then gave a heavy sigh and a head shake.

"Nothing is. I just didn't sleep well, is all," Lillie said with a little smile.

Frax could see Velvet scowl at that, and he raised an eyebrow in turn before they both eyed Mallow. The green-haired girl gave a shrug, as clueless as they were about Lillie.

Thus, Frax and Velvet locked gazes again, nodding at once. They had no idea what to do, but if Lillie needed help, they were more than ready to give it.

Before they could think of any way to do so, however, a rather familiar set of steps echoed from the corridor, prompting all the students to stand to attention as a familiar shirtless man made its entrance in the classroom.

"Alola, students!" Kukui said, adjusting his visor and cap slightly and waving at the kids.

All the students nodded at once. "Alola, Professor!"

"Sorry if I didn't come here on time, there were some last-minute arrangements to work out."

Kiawe folded his arms, frowning. "Then it's true? We're going on an outdoor lesson?"

"I've got something much better than that in mind." Kukui grinned, leaning over the desk as he stared over his students. "At this point on our study program, I think you're all pretty acquainted with Melemele Island, especially after our dear trialgoers completed their Grand Trial."

"Yeah, it was so cool!" Hau pumped his fists, with his own Popplio coming in to mimic him. "I can't wait to start the Trials on my own, you know!"

"Heh, great drive, Hau." Kukui gave him a thumbs up, before he got up and walked closer to the seats, his eyes wandering through the eight students' features. "But see, our dear region of Alola was built on the harmony of the four major islands, from a political and natural perspective. It's almost a duty for us Alolans to learn about this harmony and uphold it for the future, growing with the knowledge gained."

Frax and the others continued to observe their teacher as he spoke. After a brief pause, Kukui pulled off a huge grin and folded his arms, before the teacher's gaze shifted to the sea far in the distance.

"As such, the principal and I talked it over and we came to an agreement that the best solution was a week-long class trip on Akala Island, learning everything that one of the biggest Alolan islands has to offer."

All the students were startled by that, most of them wide-eyed and curious, many others excited and grinning.

"Woah!" Frax yelled, excitement coursing through his veins.

Kiawe was the lone unimpressed one, his eyes also focused in the direction of their next destination. "Akala, huh."

"I know that you live there, Kiawe, but I'd like to think this will be an important formative experience even for an Akalan native like you." Kukui drew a finger to the sky. "One of the core tenets of growing is experiencing the world, something the entire Trial system is built on. It's why I travelled to Kanto years ago, challenging their League to discover more about myself and the bond with Pokémon."

Kukui's stare then returned on his students once more. "It may not quite be the same, but I think a taste of the road will do all you guys good."

"Sounds really promising," Velvet said.

Lillie raised a hand to speak, and upon Kukui's nod she spoke. "Is this going to be a free excursion, then? Just exploring Akala freely?"

"Not quite, we do have a program to follow after all." Kukui could barely hold back yet another grin as he observed the door. "But don't you worry, because I've brought with me the best guide one could ask for. Please, come in."

And thus, without further prompts, their future Akalan guide stepped inside the room. And pretty much everyone lost their words the moment they recognized who she was.

It was a rather dark-skinned and gorgeous woman, with dark hair and revealing yet bright clothes that highlighted her appeal. She strutted through the hall and into the classroom almost like a model, but with a calm and poise far more fitting of a leader. She wore a rather bright smile, remaining quite dignified as she glanced around the place, as befitting of her person.

A lot of them remained still and silent, recognizing the woman on sight. Sophocles continued to keep his eyes on his holo-laptop and tried to hide his blush, while Kiawe froze completely and stared vacantly at the woman.

And then, the lady gave a casual wave as he stopped next to Kukui, beaming at the youngsters. "Alola. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"K-Kahuna Olivia?" Kiawe asked, eyes wide and jaw dropped, with lots of sweat pouring down his face.

Lana simply leaned a bit forward, intrigued. "The Kahuna of Akala Island?"

"Bingo." Kukui nodded, sharing a brief glance with Olivia. "We had some important matters to discuss, and we decided to see if she had time to help out with our trip too. As you can see, she could and accepted to."

"Seeing children grow is a great pleasure for me, really." Olivia's gaze moved throughout the class, until it fixated on Kiawe, making the poor boy even more still than he already was. She gave him a little wink. "Nice to see you again, Kiawe. I'm expecting good things from you in the future."

Kiawe seemed about to respond, only for him to say nothing, like a Deerling in the highlights. Lana next to him was letting out some low chuckles.

"Oh, right, you're gonna start your duties as a Trial Captain next year, right?" Mallow asked, turning back and facing Kiawe's seat.

Kiawe was still too flustered to respond, and thus Olivia approached the small group and answered with a nod.

"Yeah, Akala's been pretty short on Trial Captains these days." The Kahuna placed a hand over Kiawe's exposed shoulder, patting it a couple times. "This guy here reminds me of his grandfather Koa in many ways, so he was the perfect candidate to help Iolani in her duties."

The dark-skinned boy swallowed at that, then shook his head firmly. "That's not true, I can't measure up to the previous Kahuna of Akala yet."

"Don't sell yourself short. You've got the potential to leave your mark on the Alolan Islands, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

And thus, Kiawe was once again speechless upon Olivia's second wink and cheery grin. All the while, Lana and Mallow ended up thoughtful.

"So, Akala is looking for Trial Captains? That's interesting." Mallow sat back on her seat, eyes falling on her Steenee.

"Trial Captain Lana, huh." The blue-haired girl smiled towards her Popplio. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

As her Popplio yapped and clapped her flippers, Sophocles just sighed and turned to his holo-laptop, seemingly trying to ignore the discussion as he frowned more than usual.

Olivia seemed almost amused by the rather different reactions of everyone, only to shake his head and walk back ahead of the whole class, clearing her throath.

"But anyway, I assume you have probably got some questions to ask the Kahuna of another Island, right? Lay them on me, I'll be sure to answer them as well as I can-"

"Let's battle, here and now!"

Olivia blinked a couple of times as she saw Hau and Frax slam their hands on their tables together, wearing matching grins and staring straight at the Kahuna. Everyone else was similarly confused, just staring at the two boys. And then, Velvet scowled.

"What the heck are you doing, you two?"

Frax glared sideways at her. "Hey, it's a unique opportunity! If we have the Kahuna all for us, we can just as well skip to the Grand Trial!"

"I'm sure this will be a great battle! Me and my Popplio need to prove ourselves!" Hau nodded, rising a fist skyward.

Velvet continued to stare at her brother and her friend. And then, she slapped a hand over her forehead. "Oh, for the love of..."

At the same time, Olivia strode closer to the boys, carefully examining them and their partner Pokémon at their sides. Both Hau and Frax remained in wait, tension filling the air.

And then the Kahuna wiggled her finger, a playful grin on her face. "It's good to see you so excited, but unfortunately, I like to do things by the book. You need to complete the Trial of Akala to be eligible to face me, no shortcuts accepted."

Hau gave a good-natured shrug. "Oh well. I'll wait, then."

"Come on, not even a small practice battle?" Frax asked, hands joined and giving Olivia a pleading stare. A head shake from Olivia later, Frax appeared considerably more deflated.

Velvet dragged her brother down to his seat, scowling at him, "She's right, you know. If we don't prove ourselves capable to handle a Trial, then we're not worthy of the associated Grand Trial. Those are the rules."

"That's not fair, though..." Frax puffed his cheeks, arms folded.

Olivia let out another little chuckle, before her attention moved to all the Pokémon running around the class. Her smile widened at that.

"You're definitely a lively class. And what nice Pokémon have you raised!" She quickly took a good look at Frax's Pikachu before she gave her a quick peck on the muzzle and grabbed her into a hug, before proceeding to do the same with all the Pokémon in her vicinity. "I'm definitely looking forward to see you all bloom into fine young adults!"

No one really knew how to reply to the overly disproportionate display of affection Olivia exploded into, aside from Kukui's playful shrug and Kiawe's resigned head shake, both of which made clear that was far from a new experience for them.

Right then, however, a loud booming sound came from the outside, and several Pokémon cries filled the air. All students and their Professor went on alert, turning left and right to discern what caused the noise.

"What's going on?" Frax asked, eyes lidded.

Lillie rubbed her chin in thought. "It sounded like the Ride Pokémon's stable, but-"

Before anyone could say anything, Olivia had put Hau's Popplio down, eyes trained outside. And then, she ran out of the classroom without a further word, two Poké Balls in hand.

With everyone else still puzzled, Kukui turned to the class and gestured them to come after him, and so the Professor and his students all rushed after the Kahuna to see what was going on.

* * *

As the group travelled towards the stables after the Akalan Kahuna, they were welcomed by a rather messy sight: several bits of the playgrounds had been stepped on and thrown aside, with several of the students from the other classes running away from the site. It was all rather chaotic as they made their way through even more ruined scenery with stampede marks all around the familiar landscape.

"What's going on here?" Lillie asked, turning around with everyone else. Olivia stood a few feet from them, studying her surroudings with a stoic gaze.

And then, a familiar voice boomed through the playgrounds.

"Hee-haw! Go away, this is Skull territory now!"

The class' attention swiftly moved ahead, where the very same Team Skull grunts Frax and Velvet met were now riding the school's Tauros, running around the place and barely reining them in as they flattened the path and smashed through everything.

Kukui and most of the class tensed up at that, while Frax couldn't help but give his sister a look. Velvet only rolled her eyes in response, and both Lono twins shifted back to the Skull grunts having the time of their life. All the while, Olivia just stood calmly ahead of them, staring at the rampaging trio just as she walked on their path.

All but Kiawe paled, and Frax stepped ahead. "Kahuna Olivia! Look out!"

He tried to rush at her, only for his Akalan friend to grab him away. Frax stared in confusion at Kiawe, only for the shirtless boy to shake his head.

Both kids turned back to Olivia as she continued walking towards the stampeding Tauros, head held high and no concern on her face, even as the Tauros came closer and closer, rushing ahead with no intention to stop, the Skull grunts still cackling to themselves.

And then Olivia rose a hand, and the Tauros braked suddenly inches away from her, suddenly enough to throw all three grunts off of them and knocked back on the hard ground.

"Ow!" they yelled at once, backs hitting the dirt.

Olivia didn't mind them, her attention completely on the still uneasy Tauros. The Kahuna gave them a warm smile and slowly brushed a hand over their fur.

"There, there, you have nothing to worry about. I'm sorry you got startled," Olivia said softly.

The three Tauros mooed happily as Olivia continued to pet them, with Frax and the rest observing awestruck. The Pokémon that seemed scared and unruly just a second before were now letting themselves be brushed over and kissed as if nothing had happened, with the Kahuna continuing to shower them with quiet affection even as the Skull grunts were rising back up and glaring right at them, with Tupp in particular looking less than enthused.

"Who the heck do you think you are? You shouldn't just stand on the road and ruin someone-" The blue-haired Skull grunt then paled, realizing who the dark-skinned woman was. "W-wait, you are-"

"K-Kahuna Olivia?" Zipp asked, stepping back with arms raised.

Rapp tilted her head. "What is she doing there?"

Olivia gestured to the Ride Tauros to go back inside the stables, which they eagerly did as the Akalan Kahuna turned back to the trio of Team Skull members, beaming at them right away.

"Hey, look who's there! Tupp, Rapp and Zipp, right? It's been a while since the last time we saw each other. Have you been well?" she asked with a friendly wave.

Tupp scowled. "You're the last person who should ask that! Rapp, Zipp, let's show her!"

"Alright!"

And thus, all three hooligans tossed their Poké Balls up, with a Salandit, a Zubat and a Garbodor quickly taking their places ahead of the three bullies.

Olivia didn't seem concerned in the slightest, instead opting for an even wider smile as she checked the three Poison-types out.

"Oh, I see your Pokémon are well! Your Salandit truly looks strong Tupp, far more than one should be."

Tupp allowed himself a smirk behind his bandanna. "Yeah, I know he's great. He's gonna evolve soon, for sure!"

Frax blinked at that, and quickly faced Lillie and Velvet for confirmations. The smartest girls of the class both grimaced and made to raise their hands, only for Lana to raise a finger and shush them off. No one dared to intrude the discussion, even as Olivia let out a delighted chuckle.

Her eyes then moved towards the Garbodor. "And you're doing a fine job too, Zipp! Your Trubbish has truly evolved into a magnificent Garbodor!"

"Y-you think so?" Zipp asked, staring back at the Kahuna.

"Absolutely! I can tell all the care and love you gave him have paid off!"

The overweight grunt didn't know what to say, simply blushing and rubbing his neck sheepishly. Olivia's attention then turned to Rapp and her Zubat, which led to an approving nod from the woman.

"And you're still specializing in using Zubat, Rapp. Did you not find any other Pokémon that caught your fancy?"

Rapp rubbed her neck, grinning. "Well, there was a local Meowth that was pretty cute once, and..."

"Wait a second! We aren't here for chitchat!" Tupp yelled, fist raised and glare on the Kahuna.

"Oh, right!"

Both Zipp and Rapp quickly made the angriest and least convincing faces they could to support Tupp, with their Pokémon adopting just as ridiculous scowls.

Olivia shrugged at that. "A shame, I would've liked to talk some more, especially since you decided to ditch the trials and join Team Skull instead."

"We just decided to join the stronger and badder team, here! A stupid Kahuna like you can't understand!" Tupp pointed at the Kahuna, his glare growing sharper. "Now, hand over your Pokémon, or we're gonna make a mess of this place!"

The students all tensed up at that declaration, all their Pokémon taking battle stances and ready to throw down with the Skull members. However, it was once again Kiawe to put a stop to that, stepping ahead with a confident smirk on his face.

"Don't worry, Kahuna Olivia has this in the bag," the Akalan boy said, with Kukui nodding along.

That was enough to let Frax and the others lower their guard and make them turn back to the Kahuna, which seemed more bored at the proceedings than any sort of concerned.

Olivia thus stared down Tupp, keeping her cool. "So, you're gonna make a mess of this place. May I ask how?"

Tupp stepped ahead with a raised fist, ready to reply. Or at least he tried, only for no words to come out and for him to stare blankly at the woman.

"L-like I would tell you! A Kahuna wouldn't risk it, right?" he asked, fists clenched and teeth grinded behind his bandanna.

"I dunno, you do seem pretty harmless." Olivia put her hands on her sides, smiling. "How about we stop this here? You leave and we forget about what happened, you stop disturbing the school activities, and you get to walk away scot free. Inviting, isn't it?"

Hearing the proposal, both Rapp and Zipp gave pause. They then quickly turned towards Tupp, who only seemed ready to fume in anger instead.

"Maybe it's better to listen to Kahuna Olivia here-"

"Puah! Like heck we'll do that! We're members of Team Skull, and we never bow down to anyone! If you want us to stop causing trouble, make us!"

Both Zipp and Rapp went wide-eyed as Tupp shook a fist in anger, with even their Pokémon looking far less willing to go along with the battle than before. For her part, Olivia simply sighed and grabbed two Poké Balls from her waist.

"You can't say I didn't warn you." She tossed both Poké Balls with a determined grin. "Lychee, Rocky, come out!"

As the Balls opened, two very distinct Pokémon appeared at Olivia's side: at her left stood a slender, quadrupedal wolf Pokémon with a pale mane analyzing the battlefield, while at her right was a bipedal, red-furred and red-eyed wolf Pokémon, looking feral and battle ready. They were Pokémon Frax had already got to see before: both Lycanroc, one in Midday form and the other in Midnight form, and both looking ready to throw down with the Skull grunts.

The Kahuna allowed herself to pet her Pokémon of choice, with both Pokémon woofing with pleasure. On the other end of the battlefield, all the Team Skull members seemed just about ready to give up, but Tupp still managed to power through, gulp and point ahead, his scowl almost comical now.

"Come on, guys, let's attack! We outnumber her!"

"Right!"

And thus Salandit, Zubat and Garbodor all threw themselves towards Lychee and Rocky, with Olivia and her Pokémon remaining calm and analyzing their attackers.

The woman faced both her Pokémon with a smile. "Guys, can you be darlings and deal with them for me? I trust you know what to do."

Both Lycanroc nodded back, and Lychee and Rocky quickly turned back and rushed head-first towards the Team Skull Pokémon. The first to attack was Lychee, materializing several rocks around its body through Rock Slide and firing them all at his opponents like a machine gun.

Salandit and Zubat managed to duck and fly out of range, but Zipp's Garbodor wasn't so lucky, getting pelted over and over by the rain of rocky shards until it collapsed on the dirt, under his trainer's shocked eyes.

The barrage continued without stop, with Lychee trying his all to blast away Tupp and Rapp's Pokémon. The Zubat and Salandit, however, managed to circumvent the rocks at all turns, with Lychee barely even trying to adjust his aim, all while Zubat and Salandit edged closer and readied a double serving of Leech Life and Toxic to blow onto the Lycanroc.

"Wow, a Kahuna can't even aim right? That's pathetic! I can't believe I was supposed to defeat _you_!" Tupp laughed out, arms folded and cocky smirk on his face.

Olivia shook her head and sighed. "No wonder you had to drop out of the trials, if you can't even keep track of the whole battlefield."

Tupp and Rapp widened their eyes at that, quickly shifting their eyes through the battlefield until they noticed all the Rock Slide's projectiles that missed Zubat and Salandit impacting over Rocky as he held his paws crows, grinning and glowing of a blue aura.

And when he realized what was going on, Tupp's face lost all color. "Quick guys, go-"

The blue-haired grunt didn't have the time to talk, for Rocky bounded straight at Zubat and socked it on the ground, then leapt over to Salandit and slammed it down in a spiderweb crack, both Pokémon crying in pain as the Counter ran its course. The Midnight Lycanroc's cocky grin only grew wider as he and Lychee stared at the badly hurt Pokémon on the ground.

Tupp stepped back, sweating. "What the-"

"I'm sorry if I'm not giving you a proper battle here, but I think you've caused enough trouble as it is." Olivia glanced over at her Midnight Lycanroc. "Rocky, are you ready?"

Rocky nodded, and Olivia's brown Z-Crystal shone from her Z-Ring. And as she crossed and uncrossed her arms, the Team Skull trio understood what was in store for them.

As Rapp and Zipp shivered like leaves, it was up to Tupp to raise his arms while sweating profusely. "W-wait! There's no need to reach those extremes! We're sorry! We're sorry!"

Neither Olivia nor her Midnight Lycanroc stopped, as they twisted their hips and pumped their muscles at once, energy transferring from trainer to Pokémon until a large, powerful aura engulfed Rocky completely.

"It's time, Rocky! Show them our Continental Crush!" Olivia yelled, just as her Midnight Lycanroc jumped up to the sky, paw raised to the heavens.

There, rocks gravitated upwards, above Rocky's hand and coalescing together, bigger and bigger, until a giant rock a thousand times the Lycanroc's size hovered above it.

One that Rocky gleefully lauched at the Team Skull trio and their Pokémon with a wicked grin on his face.

Neither the trainers nor their Pokémon could escape in time as the Continental Crush meteored down over them, the resulting shockwave and explosion strong enough to blast the humans and Pokémon several feet away and rise a gigantic cloud of smoke and dust.

Frax and the others remained speechless at that display of power, and they could only barely make out what was going on as the smoke started to clear up, showing the defeated Skull members' Pokémon and their rather soot-covered and scared trainer, with Tupp in particular looking more than a bit shocked by the move. And as Lychee and Rocky stepped ahead and glared at them once more, the blue-haired grunt went pale again.

"Let's run guys!" Tupp yelled, quickly standing again.

Rapp scowled his way. "Weren't you the 'Team Skull members never give up' guy?"

"Well, I was wrong! Now go!"

Rapp and Zipp sprung back on their feet, recalling their Pokémon alongside Tupp before they ran away through the cloud of dissipating smoke, as far away from the school, Kahuna Olivia, and any kind of trouble they had brought on themselves.

As the troublemakers finally left, Olivia allowed herself to grin ever-so-slightly, petting her two Lycanroc once more as they came closer to her. "Excellent work as usual, my darlings."

The hooligans now gone, the class continued to stare in utter confusion, even with Kiawe's soft grin and Kukui's chuckles.

"Well, that was quick..." Frax muttered, rubbing his neck and blinking.

Olivia turned back to them and shrugged, Lychee and Rocky right at her side as the Kahuna strutted towards the classmates. "They're just grunts of Team Skull. Usually, a quick show of power is good enough to discipline the unruly kids."

"You were awesome, Kahuna!" Hau said, a huge grin on his face as he pumped his fists and jumped on his feet. "That Z-Move was something else, you know!"

Olivia chuckled in response, her eyes falling back to her own Z-Ring. "Thank you. The Rockium-Z is the same Z-Crystal I give to those who best me in my Grand Trial, thus using the move well is part and parcel of my job."

Olivia's gaze shifted back to all the students, until it finally fell back to Frax. The kid could feel his body tense up and freeze, a mere stare from the Kahuna enough for him to feel her seriousness and might. He had already felt it faintly before, but right then, the Lono boy could truly feel like he was besides a Kahuna, regardless of her silliness.

The woman held her arm skyward, a serious frown on his face. "This is the kind of power I wield, and you saw what my two Lycanroc are able to do. Do you still want to fight me?"

Frax gulped down his worry, his feet weighting him down. He shifted his gaze away from Olivia, falling back towards Professor Kukui, Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, Lillie, Sophocles, Hau, and then finally meeting Velvet's own eyes. Her twin's stare was very much like his own: worried, just a bit tense, but above all, _excited_.

And thus, the boy's lips curled into a wide smile as he faced Olivia once more, confidence slowly building up as he raised his own Z-Ring in challenge.

"Absolutely! And me and my sister are going to win!" Frax declared, punching the sky. On the ground, his Pikachu did the same, and Velvet chuckled out.

Olivia grinned in approval, folding her arms. "That was what I wanted to hear. With so many kids losing interest in the trials and joining Team Skull, it's great to see ones still raring to face a Kahuna."

Her stare quickly turned serious, as the woman shook her head and rubbed her two Lycanroc's fur at once.

"But there's still time to think about your battle with me. You need to pass Iolani's trial first, and you've got all of Akala to explore, too." Her eyes went to the distance, towards the horizon where Ula'Ula Island and Mount Lanakila was. "The driving impetus of the Island Trials is a call to grow up and to attain self-improvement through the trials, coming into your own as individuals. No one who manages to become an Island Trial Champion truly comes out of it unchanged."

Olivia's gaze fell back on Frax and Velvet, and she winked at the twins. "I look forward to see what kind of people you'll be when we'll face each other, now."

Frax and Velvet didn't know what to say in response, simply staring back at the Kahuna. The woman laughed, almost amused by their reaction before she shook her head.

"But for now, let's return to class. There's a lot we've got to discuss for your trip now, after all."

And thus, without further words, Olivia and her two Lycanroc walked away from the destroyed playgrounds and back towards the main building.

It didn't take long for the rest of the class and Professor Kukui to follow them, leaving Frax and Velvet behind the ground. Both Lono twins turned to each other and shared a confident grin before they stared at the Akalan Kahuna's back: they couldn't say what their adventure in Akala would've led to, but if nothing else, it sure was shaping up to be a rather interesting experience now.

* * *

 **Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to my latest endeavor, starring some of my favorite characters in Reset, Frax and Velvet Lono in their replacement Sun & Moon adventures for the Reset timeline, in the first part of what you could call the 'second season' of the Reset Alolan arc. Unlike the past entries featuring the twins and the Pokémon School kids, this story will be a lenghty multi-chapter sidestory covering the entirety of the Akala Island arc from canon, albeit with several deviations and with original adventures sprinkled in, as this chapter likely already proved.**

 **Being a fresh starting point, I decided to reintroduce every character so far both to set them up better for their roles in this sidestory, and to make sure to avoid the problem of Continuity Lockout: reading the previous sidestories will be helpful for context, but I will always make sure everything is mostly understandable even without them. Hopefully I will do a good job in this regard.**

 **Another little choice I decided to make was to ensure to pull a brief Character Rerailment for Gladion closer to his canon self's depiction given the original Gladion Interlude and his brief appearence in the Melemele Grand Trial Interlude both portrayed him as an almost parody of the 'edgelord' image he often gets given, which can be funny in short bursts but is quite at odds with the kind of role he will eventually have, thus I'd like to make it a bit more middle of the road: some jokes will definitely be still thrown towards Gladion, but for the most part I plan to play him a bit more straight than the Resetverse has done so far.**

 **I also enjoyed writing the Skull trio in this chapter, considering they're woefully underutilized in the Anime in spite of perfectly encapsulating the Team Skull spirit in favor of Team Rocket, and with them not being in Alola I thought they deserved a little moment to shine, even with Olivia dishing quite a bit of punishment towards them.**

 **Many thanks to Epicocity, Cottonmouth25, and RandomificationChaotic for their kind hand in checking out this story as it progressed alongside my Reset colleagues. I've got a few one-shots to work on before I can start to work on the next chapter, but I'll make sure to serve each chapter with only minor waits between entries, certainly far less than with The Wild Boy of Sinnoh (whose chapter 3 is already in progress, too).**

 **That said, thanks to everyone that will read, and see you next time!**

However, before we leave, here's an ambigously canon omake from Crossoverpairinglover. 

* * *

"So, you want to know the secret to how I managed to meet and marry someone and be a Kahuna?"

When the young Kahuna of Akala nodded his way Hala nodded.

"I see why you came to me. Nanu has no social life to speak of, and will likely have to clone himself if he finds himself wanting an heir or young companion beyond Acerola. Someone to keep him company elsewise who isn't furry will be a bit more complicated than calling his old police scientists up for a favor, but that is besides the point. Very well, I cannot speak for experience if this attracts men as it does women if that's your preference, but this is my special technique."

His Z-Ring sparked as he entered the pose.

"Behold, the legendary sequence of poses that will surely find you love and happiness!"

...

Hau wasn't able to speak. The sight of what his grandfather was doing froze him in place, a terrifying and mentally scaring sight that would haunt him for the rest of his days.

He barely felt his mother pat him on the back, or reassure him that he hadn't entered a punishment in the afterlife.

"That dance was actually popular when he was young. It's called the Charleston. You wouldn't exist without it."

As his grandfather and the visiting Akala Kahuna continued to dance, Hau felt a sudden desire to not exist.

It promptly magnified when his mother joined them in the dance, quickly followed by Tapu Koko itself in a four person line of mortification.


End file.
